


The Roads We Take

by IAmStoryteller



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Canon-Typical Violence, Dysfunctional Family, Established Relationship, F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Future Fic, Gen, M/M, Mafia Boss Sawada Tsunayoshi, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:35:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24405910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IAmStoryteller/pseuds/IAmStoryteller
Summary: It's been nearly seven years and Tsuna still can't believe this is his life now.The continuing adventures of Tsuna and his Tenth Generation Family as they attempt to become functioning adults and change the Vongola Family for the better.
Relationships: Chrome Dokuro & Miura Haru & Sasagawa Kyouko, Chrome Dokuro & Rokudou Mukuro, Gokudera Hayato/Sawada Tsunayoshi/Yamamoto Takeshi, Hibari Kyouya & Sasagawa Ryouhei, Irie Shouichi/Spanner, Kurokawa Hana/Sasagawa Ryouhei, Miura Haru & Sawada Tsunayoshi, Miura Haru/Sasagawa Kyouko, Reborn & Sawada Tsunayoshi, Sasagawa Kyouko & Sawada Tsunayoshi, Sawada Tsunayoshi & Vongola Tenth Generation Guardians, Superbi Squalo & Yamamoto Takeshi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1/Target 410:  Reload!

**Naples, Italy**   
**2010**

Sawada Tsunayoshi hefted a big sigh in equal parts annoyance with himself and pure unadulterated panic. He gripped tufts of his brown hair as he forced himself to stare at the blank word document on his laptop screen. This assignment was not going to write itself, but for him, it was impossible. His first Public Speaking class assignment was to write a speech about your hobby, in an attempt to convince others to try the hobby of topic.

The problem was that Tsuna didn’t have a hobby. He searched through every list of hobbies he could find—crafts, writing, outdoor activities, athletics, collecting and so forth—and Tsuna realized that he _still_ wasn’t good at anything these days except fighting. It wasn’t even something like martial arts or kendo or boxing that he could put down, as Tsuna didn’t have a recognizable fighting style. His style was an amalgamation of dozens of styles, but boiled down to simply a brawler style. Considering that even at 20 years old, Tsuna was still short and soft-looking, no one would buy it if he said that he was a fighter. 

Tsuna wouldn’t even be able to convincingly lie about a hobby because he didn’t know what anything entailed and Tsuna wasn’t a good liar anyway. He spent most of his free time outside of college classes and homework hours working with Nono at the Vongola Headquarters to learn how to be a proper boss in order change things. 

If he wasn’t with Nono, he was training (read: trying to avoid death) with Xanxus at the Varia mansion. When Xanxus was out, Tsuna still had death matches from assassins who didn’t like the news that he was shifting the Vongola from a criminal enterprise to a more proper militia like back in Primo’s days.

If it wasn’t working with Nono, having death matches against assassins, and “training” with Xanxus, Tsuna was parenting his Guardians and the rest of his family. He loved them, but even when most of them were across the world, as a boss he had to clean up their messes and mistakes.

“Wow, I’m still a loser,” muttered Tsuna, to himself under his breathe. Tsuna let out another sigh. “Great.” Before he could slam his head on his desk in frustration, something small hit him in the head. “Ow, what the peanuts?!” A pebble landed on his desk.

Tsuna turned his head from where it came and found Reborn sitting on his bed. “Ciaossu, Tsuna.”

Reborn had been aging slowly and he looked to be about nine years old. The hitman didn’t live with Tsuna anymore, he hadn’t since Tsuna became a college student, but Reborn visited often. Sometimes, Tsuna missed his tutor.

Tsuna ignored the fact that Reborn threw a pebble and said, smiling, “Reborn! I thought you had a mission!”

Reborn smirked and let out a short chuckle, “I finished it because I’m not a quitter like my dumbass student!”

“Language, Reborn,” scolded Tsuna.

“For Christ’s sake, Tsuna, you’re grown, let me curse,” said Reborn.

“And what? Have you cursing up a storm when you visit Japan and letting I-Pin and Lambo hear it and repeat after you? I have a hard enough time getting Gokudera-kun to stop,” argued Tsuna.

“Don’t be such a Dad, Tsuna,” said Reborn, dismissively. “And what’s this about you being a loser? I thought I got you to stop calling yourself that.”

“You can’t erase years of me being an actual loser from my memory,” easily replied Tsuna. Reborn gave him a dead-eyed stare; the hitman was not amused. “It’s just…I don’t have a hobby outside of the mafia. I don’t have baseball like Yamamoto or boxing like Nii-san or…”

“I get it,” said Reborn, cutting him off. “So you mean to tell me that you think you’re good-for-nothing other than fighting is that it?”

“Yeah,” said Tsuna.

Reborn smirked. “When’s the paper due?”

Tsuna’s eyes narrowed, as he told his tutor, “Next week. Why, Reborn? What are you planning?” Reborn chuckled and didn’t respond as he walked out of Tsuna’s room. “Reborn! Please, behave yourself!” Tsuna got out of his chair to chase after Reborn. Who knew what Reborn brand chaos was about to go down, Tsuna thought to himself as he walked towards the kitchen (on visits, it was Reborn’s first stop after breaking into Tsuna’s room).

He knew it was futile to argue and resigned himself to his fate, but it didn’t stop him from chasing after Reborn since he missed his tutor and wanted to take a break from homework anyway. It’d be nice to have a meal with Reborn again.

_~to be continued_


	2. Chapter 2/Target 411: Mornings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hibari's day begins like any other

**Namimori, Japan**   
**2010**

Hibari Kyouya woke up every day five minutes before his alarm bell rung. He was a man of routine and order, after all. He blinked wearily at the ceiling in his bedroom, knowing that it was six in the morning, but today, he was more tired than usual. Despite taking regular naps throughout the day, university was a lot more difficult than expected. He actually had to make effort in his classes, especially since his mothers were paying part of the bill for him to go to the top rated university in the nation of Japan.

Silently, he climbed out of bed and started his daily ritual. He grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom. Since the day was Wednesday, he didn’t have a long day ahead. After breakfast, he had to catch the bus to the train station to university. He had two classes that day (Japan from 500 to 1500 history class and Introduction to Foreign Relations). But today, he had his duties as the Student University President.

Once he was done in the bathroom, he went back to his room to put his pajamas in the hamper. He grabbed his bag, cell phone, and his Tonfa, as well as Vongola Bracelet from where he left it on his desk last night. He only ever took off the damned thing when he was home and only put it back on when he left the house. His mothers always had strained looks on their faces when they saw him with the Vongola bracelet on his wrist.

Kyouya took one look around his neat and tidy room to make sure that he wasn’t forgetting anything. Once he was sure, he left his room and headed down the hall to the stairs. Despite having a preference in the future of a traditional Japanese home, Kyouya grew up in a home quite like everyone else. Most of the houses in Namimori had the same layout, despite the outward appearances being different (his house actually had the same layout as the little animal who was supposed to be his boss). In fact, his house was one of the older houses in town that his mothers had gotten cheap from Kawahira Real Estate.

He entered the kitchen to find his mothers. His lookalike mother was at the table, haphazardly eating and reading something on her phone, while his petite mother was cleaning the kitchen equipment used to make breakfast.

“Morning, Mama, Kaa-chan,” mumbled Kyouya, taking his seat at the kitchen table, where a plate of waited for him.

“Good morning, Kyo-chan,” cheered his Mama, his lookalike mother. 

“Morin’, Kyouya,” grumbled his Mom, his petite mother. 

Kyouya began to eat his food, when his petite mother finished the cleaning for the time being and sat down at the table with them. He and his Mom were not morning people, so there wasn’t much conversation. On the other hand, his Mama was a morning person, but as she was a considerate person, had something to occupy her. Breakfast was the only meal of the day that he had the time to share with his mothers since he was in middle school.

“Kyo-chan,” said his Mama, breaking the comfortable silence. “Why haven’t you been taking your food allowance with you?”

Kyouya stopped eating. He didn’t think they’d catch on for a while. Truth be told, despite whatever everyone thought of him, they weren’t rich. Though Kyouya knew of his biological father’s activities that made him wealthy, his mothers were not rich. They weren’t poor by any stretch of the imagination, but things were tight. Kyouya was smart enough to figure out that between his mothers’ jobs and whatever funds they kept hidden from him, they had no choice but to live frugally.

“You had better be eating lunch, Kyo-chan,” said his Mama, steel in her voice. “Don’t take advantage of poor Tetsuya-kun, alright?”

“I’m eating. And I’m not taking advantage of Kusakabe,” countered Kyouya. While he generally got along with his mothers, his Mama and Kyouya had similar tempers (which made sense since she did give birth to him) and that tended to make them clash in verbal arguments that sometimes became a sparring match in the backyard.

“Kyouya, just take yer food allowance every day, k? You don’t gotta worry about money, promise,” interceded his far-more-level headed parent. She gave him a steady and serious look. “Yer still a growing boy and regular meals are important.” The last thing he wanted was to worry his mothers after everything they done for him and after all the things they let him get away doing that other mothers would definitely have a problem with him doing.

“Sasagawa’s sister and her friend make me lunch,” admitted Kyouya. The Sun Guardian’s sister Kyouka and her friend Hana were the year under him at Tokyo University, but out of some sense of _something_ , they insisted making him and Kusakabe lunch boxes. And since he sort of back-handedly promised Tsuna that he’d look after everyone staying in Japan that was part of their Tenth Generation Vongola Family, he didn’t turn down the offer. And Ryouhei was less annoying when Kyouya didn’t have to hear from the loud boxer. Upsetting Kyouka and Hana was something that would make the boxer very, very irritating to Kyouya.

“Oh! Why didn’t you say before,” said Mama, mood brightening instantly. “Homemade lunch boxes are the best!”

“What? Do you want me to make you one,” asked Mom, teasingly. She was the only viable cook in the house. Kyouya didn’t have the patience for cooking and his Mama could give Gokudera’s poison sister a run for her money in the deadly food department.

“No! I get free food at the café,” retorted Mama. She smiled at Kyouya. “Make sure you thank the girls for feeding you.”

“Take yer food allowance and buy ‘em a cake,” Mom ordered. “I know you don’t like talking to people, but remember what I taught you. Always settle yer debts.”

“Can’t you just say “mind your manners” like a normal mother,” asked Mama, rolling her eyes.

“I will,” promised Kyouya. He would just make Kusakabe fetch the cake and give it to the girls. He did not want to deal with them directly and they knew to communicate with him via Kusakabe. With the matter settled, the family of three went back to their breakfast. Kyouya enjoyed the ensuing silence.

Once he finished eating and cleared the table. He grabbed his things and headed out of the kitchen. He had a bus to catch. “I’m leaving.”

“Have a good day,” called his mothers in unison. “Be careful!”

Kyouya said, as he slid on his shoes at the front door, “You too.”

He exited his house and headed down the street to the bus stop. It was still early enough that it was only salarymen and women heading out for the morning commute. He preferred catching the bus as early as possible so that there wasn’t too many people on it or the train when he got to the station.

Sometimes, Kyouya wished he had taken the stupid Bronco’s high school graduation gift of a car, but while Kyouya still lived and depended on his mothers, there was no way that he’d be able to keep the car. And Kyouya, not even on the pain of death, wanted to explain to his former mentor anything about his family’s struggles, because Dino would just pay for everything.

And like his Mom taught him, Kyouya always settled his debts and didn’t want to owe anything to anybody.

(One day, when he had the Foundation, he’d pay back his mothers for everything and take care of them).

His phone beeped. Sighing, he hoped it wasn’t the Namimori Middle Principal again, the man needed his help too much. He saw the message was from “Little Animal.” Doing the math of the time difference in his head between Naples and the Tokyo area, Kyouya scowled at his phone. He opened the message to find that it was a screenshot of a calculus problem.

_“I can’t figure it out, please help.”_ Tsuna struggled with most schoolwork, but the fact that the younger boy truly tried to keep pace was admirable in a way.

Still, Kyouya sighed. These were the type of messages he got from his supposed boss, pleas for help with schoolwork, after Kyouya spent three years making sure Tsuna graduated high school with a decent ranking befitting a Mafia boss. He typed out the explanation but ended it with a threatening order.

_“After this problem, go to sleep, little animal. It’s 1:30am there. Don’t make me fly over there and bite you to death.”_

_“Yes, Hibari-san.”_

Kyouya’s mouth twitched almost into a grin. The little animal had gotten sassier with time and distance. He couldn’t wait until Tsuna was strong enough to give Kyouya the match of his life. Putting his phone away, he spotted Kusakabe at the bus stop. It was time to start his day.

_~to be continued_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hibari is such a hard character to write since we never got his POV of anything and we only have hints about his history, so here's my interpretation of the character.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3/Target 412:  The Right Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gokudera does his best

**Naples, Italy**  
**2010**

Hayato entered the kitchen and was not surprised to see Reborn and The Tenth bickering as Enma and Chrome heated up breakfast made by the chef that The Ninth hired for them as a graduation present. Reborn made surprise visits often to check up on The Tenth. He sighed, “Morning.”

“Morning, Gokudera-kun,” said Tsuna, diverting from his argument with Reborn to greet Hayato. 

“Ah, Gokudera,” said Reborn. “How’re your classes going?”

“Fine,” said Hayato. School was never a problem for him, not even when he entered the university level. His schoolwork was easy. What Gokudera spent most of his time working on was becoming the best right-hand man to The Tenth. “What are you and Juudaime arguing about now?”

“Tsuna says he has no hobbies, so we’re going to be helping him find one so he can write his paper,” said Reborn, without missing a beat.

Hayato looked at The Tenth’s disgruntled face and realized that they were about to have some Reborn-brand chaos thrust upon them. He knew how The Tenth often stressed about, well, everything, so Hayato said, “Well, I’m sure there’s something easy that we can find that’s not too hard. I’ll help.”

“No, that’s not necessary—” Tsuna started to say.

“Me too! I’m off today,” said Enma.

“Yeah, I can help in the afternoon,” said Chrome.

“It’ll work out Juudaime,” said Hayato, grinning. While Reborn always meant well and meant to teach Tsuna, Hayato needed to make sure that things didn’t get too out of control or he’d never hear the end of it from Takeshi and Ryouhei. Especially Takeshi. And Hayato needed to makes sure the baseball-loving idiot didn’t too stress by being so away from Tsuna.

The Tenth sighed and smiled, fondly, “Okay, okay, you guys win. Ack, wait, what time is it?” They all looked at the clock and saw that they were running ten minutes behind schedule.

Chrome, Hayato and The Tenth shot up out of their seats and rushed to grab their bags and put on their shoes. Hayato yelled, as they rushed to get out of their apartment door, “Yo, Kozato, go with Reborn and prepare for the afternoon!”

“Bye, have a good day,” said Enma, waving them off, holding Reborn in his arms.

Instead of the elevator, which was normally crowded with the families that also living in the Vongola-run apartment building, Hayato, Chrome and The Tenth took the stairs. Unfortunately, they lived in the penthouse at the top of the building, so it was about ten flights of stairs to race down. The Tenth and Chrome were heaving out of breathe by the time they reached the lobby of the building.

Giving them a couple minutes to regain their breaths, Hayato scanned the area to make sure there were no threats. Assassination attempts on The Tenth were common, especially during high school. It was harder for assassins to get around in Naples, since it was the Vongola’s city through and through. But Hayato didn’t want to risk being caught off guard.

And besides, the Varia sometimes did “surprise” training attacks.

Once Chrome and The Tenth were calmed down enough, the trio headed out into the busy streets of Naples. Hayato had grown up in Italian towns, so he was used to it, but Chrome and The Tenth still marveled at things. The trio attended University of Naples Federico II. Thanks to the connections with the Vongola, they were only a few blocks away from it. 

The University had been founded in 1224 and it was one of the best universities in the world. (The Tenth didn’t even know there were schools that were older than Todai!) It was a decent sized school, constantly having to be expanded to deal with the incoming students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

“Got to go,” said Chrome, once they were in sight of the main building. She bowed politely at The Tenth and Hayato, something that they hadn’t gotten her to stop. She rushed off.

“Come on, Juudaime, let’s get you to class,” said Hayato, shaking his head. Chrome was enjoying her time at university, taking all sorts of classes, because she never had the chance to figure out what she liked to learn. The Guardians all agreed (except Hibari, because that guy was sure stubborn and wouldn’t take money from the Vongola for school) that, as long as the Vongola were paying, they’d attend school.

Hayato escorted The Tenth to every one of his classes. And in the rare occasion where Hayato couldn’t force his schedule around the Tenths, Enma or Chrome escorted their Boss. Despite The Tenth’s protests, Hayato continued to protect him as he always had. He’d like to think that even if The Tenth didn’t become the next Boss, Hayato would stay by his side.

Once The Tenth was in class, Hayato went to the student café to get some coffee before heading to one of his business classes. He just had to do a double major in business and accounting, but it was worth it when the things he learned will help The Tenth change the Vongola for the better.

The fellow student at the counter recognized him and knew his order by heart, so it was only a matter of paying the few euro and waiting for his order.

As he took the first sip of his coffee, he spotted guys in suits and sunglasses out of the corner of his eye. Hayato sighed, as he exited the café and ignored the men. This was really becoming a problem. Not only did Hayato have to protect The Tenth from outside forces (and sometimes, inside), but Hayato had to avoid the one person he didn’t want to see—his father.

He and Bianchi’s father had been more than overjoyed to know that Hayato was back in Italy and had become the Tenth Generation Vongola Storm Guardian. According to Bianchi (who called their father once a month, out of daughter obligation), their father’s old age was getting to him and he wanted to make amends. Perhaps, Hayato was stubborn to a fault, but he didn’t want anything to do with his father, who never had time for him before, except when it suited the older man’s needs.

He hated having his father’s men follow him around Naples and The Tenth expressed concern, but those men were no match for Hayato if push came to shove and it was best to ignore them. Thankfully, they never entered the University grounds, as Hayato entered one of the buildings to head to class.

Entering the classroom, he grabbed a seat next to his normal seatmate. She saw him and took out her earphones. “Morning, Hayato. Ya look like you ate a lemon.” 

Kirsty Norwood, a brown haired and eyed young woman of Hayato’s age, started university at the same time and was also in the double major business and accounting course, so more often than not, they shared the same classes. She hailed from England, though she was proficient in Italian (which is what they spoke to each other, as she didn’t know Japanese). 

Hayato hadn’t intended on befriending anyone, but she was an alright person. He appreciated her friendliness. “Rough morning,” he replied.

Kirsty raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Oh, did you get in a spat with your boy?”

Hayato’s face warmed immediately. “You’re terrible. How many times do I got to explain to you that me and Juudaime ain’t like that!?”

“Sure,” said Kirsty, not believing him for a second. “How’s your other boy, the baseball one in America?”

Face flushing and wondering why he talked to this menace of a woman, Hayato opened his mouth to retort, but then, the Professor came running inside the classroom, effectively shutting down conversation and class began. Kirsty grinned throughout all of class, as she got the last word in this time.

After his morning classes, he picked up The Tenth from his classes and they headed home since they didn’t have any more classes for the day. What they didn’t expect to find when they entered their apartment was a whole hobby store. Reborn looked pretty pleased as he had Enma and Chrome organizing the items.

“This got overboard already,” muttered The Tenth to himself.

Hayato patted his boss on the back and said, “Well, at least, it’s nothing dangerous.”

“Tsuna! Gokudera! We’re starting with baking,” said Reborn. 

“Um, are we sure? Signora Nicolo might get furious with us,” said The Tenth. Signora Nicolo, or Nonna Caterina, was the chef that Nono hired for them. She was an old friend of Nono’s, but it meant that she was not a person to anger. The first day that they met the grandma chef, she took one look at them and proceeded to pray to the heavens and then stated that they would starve without her. It was all very dramatic. As a result, they only heated up the food she made with the very clear instructions left on each meal.

“It’ll be fine, you worry too much, Tsuna,” said Reborn.

Hayato grimaced, and thought to himself, famous last words. He and The Tenth traded looks, as they were the ones that were most likely to get in trouble with Signora Nicolo, as the chef doted on Chrome and Enma way more.

“Fine, what are we doing,” The Tenth sighed, asking, resigned to his fate.

And it was Hayato’s job to go along with what his boss said. So, he suggested, “Let’s start with cookies that should be easy.”

(It was not easy, by the way).

(Signora Caterina Nicolo was not pleased).

_~to be continued_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My hand slipped and now there's slight Gokudera/Tsuna/Yamamoto, so...
> 
> let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4/Target 413:  The Minor Leagues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamamoto has baseball, but really misses the old days.

**Chicago, IL, USA**   
**2010**

Takeshi unlocked the door to his and Kaoru’s shared apartment. After a long day at practice, Takeshi was ready for some good food and a nap. He took off his shoes, threw his keys in the bowl on top of the table next to the door, and plopped his gym bag off to the side. The apartment he shared with his friend was on the small side, because America was expensive as heck, especially in a city like Chicago. But Takeshi and Kaoru both had been recruited right out of high school by an American team. They were playing in the Minors at the moment, but it’s possible that the Majors will recruit soon.

While Takeshi missed his friends and worried about Tsuna being in Naples (despite Hayato being there with him), Takeshi knew that he had to take the chance with baseball. Besides, it wasn’t as if baseball players played the game forever, which is what he told Squalo often.

Speaking of Squalo, Takeshi pulled out his phone, which had been silent all day as per the rules from the managers and coaches. He saw that he had some voicemails. He sat on their cheap, lumpy couch in their living room/kitchen/laundry room, and touched the screen to hear them.

_“Yamamoto Takeshi! Have you come to your senses yet? You must give up baseball and devote yourself to the sword. You are a Guardian of the Vongola Decimo…”_

As usual, Squalo spoke too much on the voicemails (Takeshi wasn’t sure if the older man knew how voicemails worked). It made Takeshi chuckle to himself. He didn’t need to listen to the other voicemails because they were just going to be the same lecture he’d been getting from Squalo since Takeshi was fourteen.

“I’m back, got the food,” said Mizuno Kaoru, one of Takeshi’s good friends and the member of the Simon Family. Kaoru looked scary but he was a nice guy underneath the rough exterior. He was carrying some Chinese takeout, since they couldn’t find an affordable Japanese place nearby. Today was their cheat day on their nutritional plan, and Takeshi didn’t have the energy to cook real Japanese food after a long day of training.

“Awesome, thanks for going to get it,” said Takeshi. At home, they were able to speak Japanese, so it was a comforting time a day. At practice, it was English and English was hard.

“Coach was pretty hard on you today,” said Kaoru, sympathetically, sitting down next to Takeshi on the couch. He put the takeout bag on the coffee table that Takeshi picked up at a thrift store.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” laughed Takeshi. His phone buzzed, and it was the group chat of their Family. He scrolled through his phone and saw it was Haru. Haru was spamming them with her creations for her fashion classes. And Mukuro was replying back, giving Haru criticisms. Takeshi smiled. Those two had such a weird friendship. He checked his other messages and saw that Hibari of all people texted him. 

Takeshi never looked at something so quickly. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Hibari says that Tsuna’s not sleeping again and how he knows that when he’s in Japan and Tsuna’s in Italy is anyone’s guess,” said Takeshi, sighing. He went to his one-on-one texts with Hayato and asked if Tsuna was okay.

 _“The Tenth is having a crisis about not being good at anything. He’s stressing about schoolwork as usual. Reborn’s here, so we’re on it.”_ Hayato responded immediately, which caused Takeshi to worry more, since it was past midnight there. It meant that Hayato wasn’t sleeping either.

 _“Okay, but you get some rest too! Don’t make me come over there!”_ He responded to Hayato’s response. He’d leave things to Hayato and Reborn, but Takeshi was even more aware of the fact that he really missed being with Hayato and Tsuna. 

Amongst all their “Family,” Takeshi missed Tsuna and Hayato terribly. The first year he was in Chicago, he wasn’t as homesick for Japan or for his dad, he was homesick for the days spent with Tsuna and Hayato. On his off days that first year, he had a lot of bad days, so much so that Takeshi had been worried that his antidepressants stopped working (again). He thanked the heavens that his good friend Kaoru had been with him. Out of worry, Kaoru talked to their manager who got Takeshi a new therapist for while he was in America.

His American therapist had been a lot more…understanding than his Japanese therapist when it came to Takeshi speaking about whatever confusing feelings he had for both Tsuna and Hayato.

“Yamamoto, you’re off tomorrow, so why don't you find time to video chat them,” suggested Kaoru, raising an eyebrow. 

Before Takeshi was able to respond, the door to their apartment was kicked open and Superbia Squalo stormed inside. The dramatic, long-haired swordsman glared at Takeshi, arms crossed, and mouth in a firm line of disappointment.

“Hey, Squalo,” said Takeshi, cheerfully. “Do you want some chicken and broccoli?”

Squalo scowled and moved quickly to grab Takeshi by the shirt. “You’re off tomorrow, so you’re coming with me.”

“Ah, wait,” protested Takeshi.

But it was no use, once Squalo showed up to train Takeshi, there was no getting out of it. After all, the Vongola upper echelons wanted Takeshi to start going on assassinations with the Varia soon, despite all protests from Tsuna, Takeshi, and Dino. Takeshi sighed as Squalo dragged him (glad that it was getting harder for his mentor to do so as time went on). 

Takeshi was going to have a long night and day, as he broke out of the hold. He went to the door and put his shoes back on, and grabbed his bag and his sword. “Kaoru, I’ll be home late tomorrow.”

“Ok. Don’t die. I’ll let Enma know to tell Sawada and Gokudera.”

Takeshi nodded and headed out the door of his apartment.

“Glad you see reason today, Yamamoto Takeshi.”

“Just call me Takeshi, we’ve known each other long enough. Let’s go.”

_~to be continued_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think.


	5. Chapter 5/Target 414: A Little Bit Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chrome supports her boss, but also wants to find her way in life.

**Naples, Italy**   
**2010**

Chrome had lived a very lonely life until Mukuro had found her and gave her a life purpose. He cared about her in his own twisted way. She knew this because he pushed her away when he got out of the Vindice Prison. At first she thought it had been something she did wrong, but it wasn’t. It was his way of telling her to make her own decisions and not be dependent on him. 

Her life purpose was to serve the Boss. And it turned out that her Boss was the kindest person she had ever met. She loved him instantly. With the Boss, she was introduced to the other Guardians and the rest of the Boss’ Family (not Familigia, because it wasn’t like that with the Vongola Decimo). And for the first time ever, she had _friends._

Kyoko, Haru and Hana especially helped Chrome. Kyoko and Haru taught her how to cook and took her shopping for clothes. Hana taught her to speak up, after Chrome met the indomitable best friend of Kyoko. The three also helped Chrome catch up with school so that she entered high school with everyone and followed the Boss to Italy.

She liked learning, but since she still wasn’t used to knowing what she wanted as she experienced so little of life, Chrome attended university without declaring a major. She was in her second year of college and her advisor told her flat-out that unless she intended to be a forever-student, she needed to declare a major. It seemed counterintuitive to her that at the young age of 20 that she needed to decide the rest of her life _right now._

In this regard, she was like the Boss. The Boss had the political science major thrust upon him and the Boss always went along with everyone as he always did. Except the Boss knew what he wanted to do—change the Vongola to be a force for good like it had meant to be, instead of an international crime syndicate.

“Earth to Chrome,” called Enma, Simon Decimo and the Boss’ dear friend. “If you’re tired, I can take care of the rest of things.” He was kind like her Boss, but he was definitely a bigger disaster than the Boss, which was saying something. Enma gestured to Gokudera hovering over the Boss as the boss attempted crocheting, while Reborn had a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“I think I’d worry more,” said Chrome, mildly.

Enma laughed. He was always laughing at her attempts at humor. Did he really find her funny? “Yeah, probably.”

“Forget this! I can’t do this,” said the Boss, throwing down the yarn that just looked like a tangled mess and crocheting needles. “What’s next?”

“Puzzles,” said Chrome, looking at the list that she printed out for Reborn earlier. “This shouldn’t be too bad. I heard that a lot of people do puzzles as a hobby.”

The Boss gave Chrome a grateful smile. “That shouldn’t be too bad.”

“I picked this one out,” said Reborn, picking up the puzzle box and chucking it at Tsuna. Tsuna caught it.

“3000 pieces?!?! Reborn, why,” exclaimed the Boss. He looked like he wanted to cry. Chrome wanted to hug him, but she was still unsure about initiating affection in a platonic manner. Anyway, Gokudera always got a look on his face when the Boss spent time with Chrome or doted on her.

“Chrome talked me out of the 10,000 piece set,” said Reborn. “And Gokudera, you’re not allowed to help him with this one.”

“Why!? We still have schoolwork to do,” said Gokudera, loudly. 

Twenty minutes later, the Boss was throwing the puzzle set in the garbage, swearing that it was invented to torture him. Chrome felt bad that they can’t find a good hobby for the Boss. It was why Chrome had a last ditch option when all else failed. She had been taking some psychology classes and how certain things relaxed people. 

“Um, I brought some coloring books and crayons and pencils and markers,” said Chrome while the Boss looked completely dejected. “It seems childish but a lot of therapists have their client try it to help with stress?”

“Ah, I didn’t think of that,” said Reborn. “And it’s something that even Tsuna can do without much effort.”

And so, they spread out the color pencils, crayons and markers on the table with the five coloring books she had bought. They were kids’ ones with some American cartoon heroes. Gokudera and Enma got bored pretty quickly, and Reborn didn’t participate. Chrome didn’t get things like coloring books as a kid, so she was enjoying herself.

“This I can do,” said the Boss.

“Well, it’s easy and takes no thought,” quipped Reborn.

The Boss laughed. “Funny, Reborn! But at least, I can write my speech now. I can definitely get 5 minutes out of this!”

“Great because you’re gonna need props, so color all these booklets,” said Reborn, dead serious.

Boss hung his head. “Yeah, I know.” Boss turned to Chrome and smiled widely. “You’re the best, Chrome. Thanks for helping. I know that Reborn dragged you into this.” He hugged her briefly.

He was always warm when he gave her hugs. 

Of course, Gokudera was a bit annoyed. “What about me, Juudaime?”

“Yes, thanks, Gokudera-kun. You’re always a big help too,” said the Boss, smiling up at his right-hand man. “Enma! Thanks too!”

“Well,” said Enma, “at least, I found a hobby I can do in the process.”

“Rub it in, Enma, geez,” said Tsuna, joking. Sometime after the disaster of the baking incident and getting in trouble with the Signora, Enma turned out to have some skills with nail art. Chrome’s fingernails were painted with some very pretty flowers, Tsuna had flames, Gokudera had skulls and even Reborn had little bullets on his nails. Enma was surprised as anyone, though he didn’t think his doodles meant much of anything in the past.

Chrome smiled, as Tsuna and Enma good-naturedly bickered about their equal “loser” nature. (She didn’t think they were losers, and she wanted them to stop calling themselves that, but after years of others calling them that, it was stuck in their heads). She was glad that she decided to join Boss in Italy for university.

Now, if she can figure out what she wanted to study as a major, she’d be set.

_~to be continued_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	6. Chapter 6/Target 415:  Baked Goods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyoko deals

**Namimori, Japan**   
**2010**

Since her second-year of high school, Sasagawa Kyoko was often five seconds away from a nervous breakdown. Traveling through time, dealing with the mafia and having her life and lives of her brother and their friends at risk continuously, she handled all that with a bright smile and a good attitude. But tests, reports, making proper professional connections and parental expectations were the things that pushed her over the edge. As a result of her stress, she took to baking and by baking, she meant baking enough for an army.

And since she had a practical for her Pre-Med course in three days, Kyoko had been in the kitchen since 3 in the morning—baking everything from cookies to French pastry to German strudel. The internet was the best for finding new recipes—even if some ingredients were hard to find. Her parents had woken up and seen she had taken over the kitchen again and pleaded with her to make sure that she gave away the baked goods before they got home from work.

“Kyoko-chan! Me and I-Pin-chan are here,” called Hana, who had a standing invitation to come to the Sasagawa house whenever. Hana and I-Pin, who was in middle school now, entered the kitchen. “Holy snippets, Kyoko, what the heck happened in here?” Hana was immediately rushing over to Kyoko. Her best friend was privy to everything about Kyoko. Hana was her pillar of support. 

“It’s fine,” said Kyoko, realizing that she may have gone more overboard than usual. The counters and the kitchen table were covered in storage containers of baked goods.

“Kyoko-chan, is this about the practical? You’ve studied and practiced enough. I know you got this,” said Hana, hugging her.

“Hana-chan, thanks,” said Kyoko, receiving the hug from her best friend. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out. With Hana there, she felt much better. “You two have to take some home with you.”

“I will,” said I-Pin, the twelve-year-old martial arts. She grew out of her egg-shaped head and was becoming a bright, young lady. She hadn’t, however, outgrown exploding in embarrassment, especially when Hibari or her teacher Fon was involved. Kyoko and Hana often helped I-Pin with her homework since everything was in Japanese and while I-Pin spoke perfect Japanese, reading and writing it was a bit different. “Fuuta and Lambo will eat them all.”

“Great! I wanna take some to Chikusa-san and Ken-san and the rest of them,” said Kyoko. “Will you help me?”

“Wagon still in the shed,” asked Hana. Kyoko and Hana had been friends for so long that Hana treated this house as her second home. She headed out to the backyard where the shed held the lawn mower and gardening supplies.

“Yep! I-Pin, will you help me pick out the ones to give them,” asked Kyoko, cheering up now that she wasn’t alone.

“Yay,” cheered I-Pin, already looking at the baked goods.

As Kyoko and I-Pin picked out containers, Hana returned with the wagon and began placing the containers in the faded red wagon. Kyoko remembered that Ryouhei used to cart her around in the wagon when they had been little as part of his training. Hana and I-Pin oohed and awed at the food, while Kyoko tried very much not to burst into tears because she missed her big brother like she was missing a limb.

Okay, so maybe Kyoko’s stress wasn’t just school-related. Maybe, she missed her supportive and loving big brother. Maybe, she missed Tsuna, Chrome, Yamamoto, and Gokudera. Maybe, she really, really missed Haru.

Once the wagon was filled, the three headed out to walk to Kokuyo Junior High where Mukuro and his Gang lived when they were in Namimori. More often than not, at least one of them was there. If they weren’t Kyoko, Hana, and I-Pin would just drop off the food and pick up the old containers. While the Kokuyo Gang weren’t the friendliest people, they were important to Kyoko’s dear friend Chrome. If Kyoko can ease a bit of Chrome’s own worry over her beloved Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa, Kyoko would bake and cook forever for them.

Chikusa and Ken were the easiest to deal with, as they both had soft spots for Chrome (though Ken’d rather eat his own leg before he admitted it) and therefore, appreciated that Kyoko, Haru and Hana befriended Chrome. Admittedly, Kyoko was a bit uneasy going there when Mukuro was there since there were times when he was in a mood and put her, Hana and I-Pin in illusions for the heck of it. Ultimately, it was harmless, but it was just that Tsuna and Chrome both knew when Mukuro used his powers, which just caused Tsuna to call Hibari.

And then, Hibari and Mukuro would fight, resulting in both of them injuring each other and their respective groups having to drag them away from killing each other. (Last year, it happened four times).

The last thing Kyoko wanted was for anyone to get hurt.

Before Kyoko knew it, they were approaching the old middle school. Somehow, it looked smaller every time she came. Was it just because she was getting older? Or was she just too used to the sprawling campus of Todai?

“Kyoko-san, Hana-san, I-Pin-san, I see you’ve come again,” said Chikusa, the glasses-wearing monotone guy that often was seen with Ken. “Ken! Bring the cleaned containers.” 

“It’s a bit more than usual,” said Kyoko. 

Chikusa nodded. “Thank you for your continued kindness. We enjoy the food.”

“I’m glad,” said Kyoko, smiling kindly. 

Ken, the animalistic partner of Chikusa, came out carrying the containers of the food from Kyoko and Hana’s last visit (I-Pin had a cold last time). Ken scowled, as he did, “Looks like you went overboard. But we’ll take it. How’s Chrome?”

“She’s good! She thinks she knows what major she’s gonna do,” said Kyoko.

“Ah, good,” said Chikusa. The awkwardness in the air was evident, as they swapped the full containers for the empty ones. It was nice of them to actually clean them for Kyoko. “We’ll see you next time.”

Kyoko, Hana and I-Pin waved goodbye and with their cart of empty containers went back to town.

_~to be continued_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The main criticism I had while watching KHR and reading it was that Kyoko and Haru (and the other female characters) were regulated to the side or they were linked with a guy (I.e. Tsuna or in Chrome's case, Mukuro). I understand that the guys were all bishies and shippable together and that the mafia in real life is also the same way, but, there was so much wasted potential for Kyoko and Haru. You don't have to be a fighter to have agency.


	7. Chapter 6/Target 415:  Baked Goods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyoko stresses but deals

**Namimori, Japan**   
**2010**

Since her second-year of high school, Sasagawa Kyoko was often five seconds away from a nervous breakdown. Traveling through time, dealing with the mafia and having her life and lives of her brother and their friends at risk continuously, she handled all that with a bright smile and a good attitude. But tests, reports, making proper professional connections and parental expectations were the things that pushed her over the edge. As a result of her stress, she took to baking and by baking, she meant baking enough for an army.

And since she had a practical for her Pre-Med course in three days, Kyoko had been in the kitchen since 3 in the morning—baking everything from cookies to French pastry to German strudel. The internet was the best for finding new recipes—even if some ingredients were hard to find. Her parents had woken up and seen she had taken over the kitchen again and pleaded with her to make sure that she gave away the baked goods before they got home from work.

“Kyoko-chan! Me and I-Pin-chan are here,” called Hana, who had a standing invitation to come to the Sasagawa house whenever. Hana and I-Pin, who was in middle school now, entered the kitchen. “Holy snippets, Kyoko, what the heck happened in here?” Hana was immediately rushing over to Kyoko. Her best friend was privy to everything about Kyoko. Hana was her pillar of support. 

“It’s fine,” said Kyoko, realizing that she may have gone more overboard than usual. The counters and the kitchen table were covered in storage containers of baked goods.

“Kyoko-chan, is this about the practical? You’ve studied and practiced enough. I know you got this,” said Hana, hugging her.

“Hana-chan, thanks,” said Kyoko, receiving the hug from her best friend. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out. With Hana there, she felt much better. “You two have to take some home with you.”

“I will,” said I-Pin, the twelve-year-old martial arts. She grew out of her egg-shaped head and was becoming a bright, young lady. She hadn’t, however, outgrown exploding in embarrassment, especially when Hibari or her teacher Fon was involved. Kyoko and Hana often helped I-Pin with her homework since everything was in Japanese and while I-Pin spoke perfect Japanese, reading and writing it was a bit different. “Fuuta and Lambo will eat them all.”

“Great! I wanna take some to Chikusa-san and Ken-san and the rest of them,” said Kyoko. “Will you help me?”

“Wagon still in the shed,” asked Hana. Kyoko and Hana had been friends for so long that Hana treated this house as her second home. She headed out to the backyard where the shed held the lawn mower and gardening supplies.

“Yep! I-Pin, will you help me pick out the ones to give them,” asked Kyoko, cheering up now that she wasn’t alone.

“Yay,” cheered I-Pin, already looking at the baked goods.

As Kyoko and I-Pin picked out containers, Hana returned with the wagon and began placing the containers in the faded red wagon. Kyoko remembered that Ryouhei used to cart her around in the wagon when they had been little as part of his training. Hana and I-Pin oohed and awed at the food, while Kyoko tried very much not to burst into tears because she missed her big brother like she was missing a limb.

Okay, so maybe Kyoko’s stress wasn’t just school-related. Maybe, she missed her supportive and loving big brother. Maybe, she missed Tsuna, Chrome, Yamamoto, and Gokudera. Maybe, she really, really missed Haru.

Once the wagon was filled, the three headed out to walk to Kokuyo Junior High where Mukuro and his Gang lived when they were in Namimori. More often than not, at least one of them was there. If they weren’t Kyoko, Hana, and I-Pin would just drop off the food and pick up the old containers. While the Kokuyo Gang weren’t the friendliest people, they were important to Kyoko’s dear friend Chrome. If Kyoko can ease a bit of Chrome’s own worry over her beloved Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa, Kyoko would bake and cook forever for them.

Chikusa and Ken were the easiest to deal with, as they both had soft spots for Chrome (though Ken’d rather eat his own leg before he admitted it) and therefore, appreciated that Kyoko, Haru and Hana befriended Chrome. Admittedly, Kyoko was a bit uneasy going there when Mukuro was there since there were times when he was in a mood and put her, Hana and I-Pin in illusions for the heck of it. Ultimately, it was harmless, but it was just that Tsuna and Chrome both knew when Mukuro used his powers, which just caused Tsuna to call Hibari.

And then, Hibari and Mukuro would fight, resulting in both of them injuring each other and their respective groups having to drag them away from killing each other. (Last year, it happened four times).

The last thing Kyoko wanted was for anyone to get hurt.

Before Kyoko knew it, they were approaching the old middle school. Somehow, it looked smaller every time she came. Was it just because she was getting older? Or was she just too used to the sprawling campus of Todai?

“Kyoko-san, Hana-san, I-Pin-san, I see you’ve come again,” said Chikusa, the glasses-wearing monotone guy that often was seen with Ken. “Ken! Bring the cleaned containers.”

“It’s a bit more than usual,” said Kyoko. 

Chikusa nodded. “Thank you for your continued kindness. We enjoy the food.”

“I’m glad,” said Kyoko, smiling kindly. 

Ken, the animalistic partner of Chikusa, came out carrying the containers of the food from Kyoko and Hana’s last visit (I-Pin had a cold last time). Ken scowled, as he did, “Looks like you went overboard. But we’ll take it. How’s Chrome?”

“She’s good! She thinks she knows what major she’s gonna do,” said Kyoko.

“Ah, good,” said Chikusa. The awkwardness in the air was evident, as they swapped the full containers for the empty ones. It was nice of them to actually clean them for Kyoko. “We’ll see you next time.”

Kyoko, Hana and I-Pin waved goodbye and with their cart of empty containers went back to town.

_~to be continued_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's another chapter this month and Nov will have two chapters as well. Come December, it'll be one chapter. So many fanfics, not enough time.
> 
> Let me know what you think.


	8. Chapter 8/Target 417:  Home for the Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mukuro plots

**Namimori, Japan**   
**2010**

“Are you texting Haru-san again,” asked Fran, as they followed Mukuro into their headquarters at the old Kokuyo Middle School. “Don’t make her cry or Sawada-kun will find out.”

Mukuro put his phone away. Tsuna had insisted that Mukuro have a phone and interact with his family regularly. Considering that Tsuna and his friends/family were much more tolerable than the rest of the Vongola, it was doable. Tsuna made a promise that he was gonna change the Vongola and Mukuro was holding it to him, so Mukuro had a phone (thanks to Spanner and Shoichi’s tinkering, his phone was untraceable by normal means). “Fran, shut up.”

Together, they entered the old drama room where the rest of their gang was eating food. Fran screeched, “There’s food!” They rushed to grab a box. Chikusa, Ken, and M.M. were at the table eating heartily.

“I see we had visitors,” said Mukuro, raising an eyebrow at Chikusa and Ken, who both shrugged. M.M. cooed, stopped eating and pulled out the chair for Mukuro.

“Sit down and eat, Mukuro-san,” said Chikusa, blankly. 

“Aww, I wanted to tease Kyoko-san and Hana-san a bit,” said Mukuro, snickering to himself. Certainly, he wouldn’t go too far because Tsuna had become quite petty living all the way in Italy. Mukuro didn’t mind sparring with Hibari every once in a while, but he’d rather not have Tsuna’s main attack dog bugging him all the time. Mukuro had work to do, gathering intelligence was more important than fighting, especially for when Tsuna eventually took over as the Boss of the Vongola.

Mukuro sat at the table they had salvaged from a yard sale. He grabbed a bowl of rice. He grabbed the soy sauce and announced it to everyone. “So, we’re gonna have a problem with Trad 6.”

“Oh,” responded Chikusa, questioningly. Chikusa was the only one that ever listened to him—he should get a raise. M.M. was busy daydreaming about Mukuro giving her love, while Ken and Fran were too busy fighting over cookies.

“Mhmm, yeah. They already betrayed the Vongola since they didn't like the idea of Tsunayoshi taking over, but then they found out that Tsunayoshi was planning on destroying organized crime,” said Mukuro, simply. 

“That bodes ill,” said Chikusa.

The Trad 6 had been just several years ago the North American arm of the Vongola Family, but things change and people, especially in the mafia, get greedy.

“I’m going to visit the Skylark and tell him to keep an eye on the Family here. But we’re getting plane tickets out to the States. M.M., you’re going to Chicago to keep an eye on Yamamoto and the other baseball guy. Ken, Chikusa, you’re going to Cambridge in Massachusetts to watch the nerds. Fran, you’re going to tagalong with Sasagawa. I’m going to New York,” said Mukuro. “Trad 6 took over the underworld in North, Central, and South America, making deals with the drug cartels in Central and South America for their assistance, so we need to be cautious.”

“I take it we don’t want Sawada to find out,” asked M.M., finally getting her serious act together.

“I’ve informed my dear Nagi already and unless something goes wrong, she won’t tell him. And the Skylark won’t say a word either,” said Mukuro. He took a bite of the rice. 

“Ugh, I don’t wanna go follow the boxer,” complained Fran, flopping their head on the table, becoming boneless dramatically. “Can’t I go hang with Haru-san in New York? Why do you get to go? Not fair.”

Mukuro sighed and threw his chopsticks that took off their hat. “Don’t bitch. Just do what I say.” He looked at Chikusa and said, “Can you handle the passports and travel plans?”

“Yes, Mukuro-sama.”

_~to be continued_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9/Target 418:  Wonderful Las Vega

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryouhei and Kouyou in Las Vegas.

**Las Vegas, Nevada**   
**2010**

“Yes, finally done!”

Ryouhei shut his laptop with great gusto. He was in his fourth semester of his online course for sports medicine. The schoolwork load plus traveling for boxing matches was stressful, but a good kind of stressful that just made Ryouhei get more pumped for life. Sure, he missed his sister and his friends, but traveling the world and boxing was great fun. He needed to get stronger anyway and this seemed like a surefire way to do it.

He stood up and did stretches. After sitting at the small motel kitchen table, he had to move. The main downside to constant travel was sleeping in cheap motels. He and Kouyou were in a motel at the edge of Las Vegas. Ryouhei had a match tomorrow night, but he didn’t like using Vongola money. It was one thing to make the crime family pay for school, it was another to live off of it. Ryouhei had been raised to be self-sufficient and while he wasn’t super smart like Hibari or Mukuro, he knew that being dependent on money earned via the Vongola’s criminal activities wasn’t a good way to live.

“I really hate American stores,” complained Ryouhei’s friend Kouyou, entering the motel room, both hands carrying grocery bags. His fellow boxer and the Simon Family member had been out getting food, while Ryouhei studied. “I swear if one more of these morons speak loudly and assume I can’t speak English, I’m gonna…” 

Taking the bags to the counter (this room was just one big room with everything stuffed in it), Ryouhei listened to Kouyou rant. Ryouhei’s English was barely passable, but Kouyou knew it well enough for them both. Together, they made dinner of rice and chicken. “I don’t think they mean it,” Ryouhei said, once Kouyou got it out of his system.

“They might not mean it, but it’s really fucking annoying.”

“Language, man,” said Ryouhei, cheerfully scolding his friend.

“I really think that you think that your sister will combust if she hears a curse word,” said Kouyou.

“She’s an angel.”

“She’s 19. And she’s hung around the Decimo dumbass duo’s groups enough to have at least heard it once,” said Kouyou pointing out the obvious.

Ryouhei said, “Just let me pretend she’s still a little girl.”

Kouyou let out a short chuckle in amusement. “Fair.”

They finished eating, when Ryouhei’s phone went off. As a habit, he always picked up his phone if he wasn’t in a match. It was Karou. “Hey, man, what’s up?”

_“So, Takeshi got dragged off by Squalo for the fourth time this month, so can you check up on Tsunayoshi and Gokudera for him?”_

Ryouhei let out a small amused sigh and smiled. “Yeah, of course. Thanks for calling. You want to talk to Kouyou?”

_“No. Good night.”_

He immediately went to his text conversation with Tsuna. And sent him a text asking if he was okay and if he needed help with something. If it was school related, it might be better to get Hibari or Haru to help Tsuna, but if Tsuna needed a pep-talk then that was up to Ryouhei.

“Trouble with the kids,” asked Kouyou, opening a bottle of water and sitting on one of the terrible beds in the room.

“Haha, funny,” said Ryouhei, who was getting much better at understanding sarcastic jokes. Tsuna didn’t answer right away but that was to be expected. Ryouhei checked his messages with Hibari, which were usually just filled with Ryouhei asking a question and one word responses from Hibari. He sent Hibari a message asking if he knew if Tsuna and the rest in Italy were doing well.

“I find it interesting how the dynamics shifted in the Vongola Decimo’s circle since middle school,” said Kouyou.

Ryouhei sighed and sat on the other bed while he waited for responses from either Tsuna or Hibari. “Please, not this again. I’ve heard this so many times.” 

Kouyou often brought up the fact that Ryouhei was everyone’s big brother originally but turned into the “dad friend.” Tsuna, Gokudera, Kyoko, Haru, Yamamoto, Chrome, Enma, Lambo, I-Pin, Shoichi and the rest were the “kids.” Hana was the “cool mom friend” and Hibari was the “scary mom friend.” Mukuro was the “weird uncle.”

“But it’s funny.”

“I dare you say it to Hibari’s face,” said Ryouhei. “You’d get bitten to death faster than you can throw a punch.”

Kouyou cackled.

Ryouhei shook his head and lamented that he hadn’t gotten a response to his messages yet. The worst thing about traveling, in truth more than the motels, was missing the people who became like family to him.

“Oh, forgot to tell you. We’re being followed by some criminal-looking sorts.”

“WHAT?”

_~to be continued_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always let me know what you think!


	10. Chapter 10/Target 419:  Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spanner and Shoichi suffer at MIT

**Cambridge, Massachusetts**   
**2010**

Shoichi waited at the counter at the MIT Campus Starbucks for his and Spanner’s caffeine fix. Who knew that one of the most competitive technology universities would be so stressful? Shoichi’s stomach clenched at the thought of the mountain of coding he had to do. Their names were called and he grabbed the coffees. He went back to the table in the corner of the café since the library didn’t allow any drinks in it after someone spilled coffee on an expensive computer.

“Thanks,” said Spanner, grinning, a lollipop in his mouth as usual. “So how many shots of espresso did you get in yours this time?”

“Three,” said Shoichi, as his stomach clenched in protest.

“Hmmm, don’t make me tell Vongola on you,” said Spanner, teasing.

“Please no. I don’t want a lecture from Sawada-kun,” said Shoichi. He winced at the thought. There were times that Tsuna actually ordered food from places around the Cambridge area to deliver to them. While Spanner wasn’t as bad as Shoichi when it came to remembering to eat, drink, shower, and sleep, Tsuna had the uncanny ability to just know when they were pushing themselves.

“It’s what happens when we have an empathetic boss with hyper-insight,” said Spanner, taking a sip of his coffee, which had more sugar in it than caffeine. 

Shoichi sighed and went back to his laptop when a message sprung up. He groaned. “It’s Byakuran again. Should I answer?”

Typing away on his laptop, Spanner snorted. “He’s our ally. But he has been clingy lately.”

“It’s the fourth message he sent me today. I get that he has nothing better to do but I’m busy,” said Shoichi, laying his head on the table and feeling his stomach acting up again. He wanted to curl in a ball and sleep for four hundred years. It was certainly that he didn’t hold bad feelings against Byakuran since it wasn’t the same guy who threatened all of reality and the time-space continuum. He didn’t mind being friends, but Byakuran was known to be a bit obsessive. Horrified at his next thought, Shoichi asked, “You don’t think he has a crush on me, do you?”

Spanner stopped typing and said, thoughtfully, “You never know with Byakuran. But it doesn’t matter since we’re dating. And he might try to take over the world again. We don’t know.”

Still laying his head on the table like a weirdo, Shoichi smiled gratefully at Spanner. “You’re the best. But Uni’s been watching him closely and he’s devoted to her now, so I think the only thing I have to worry about is him calling me all the time.”

Chuckling, Spanner patted Shoichi on the head before going back to typing. “I also think your stress is making you paranoid.”

Shoichi sighed. “I’ll get some sleep tonight after I finish this coding assignment.” His stomach hurt really badly. He whimpered. Why did he think that going to MIT was a good idea?

“Sounds like a plan,” said Spanner.

*

Super-geniuses Spanner and Shoichi didn’t notice that there were two shady looking people in the Starbucks café watching them very closely. Even as Spanner and Shoichi decided to go back to their shared dorm room for the evening, they didn’t notice that they were being followed.

Who were these mysterious people? Will Ken and Chikusa arrive in time before something happens to the brains of the Vongola Decimo’s Family?

_~to be continued_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	11. Chapter 11/Target 420:  Rah-Rah, No School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lambo's having a hard time...

**Namimori, Japan**   
**2010**

Lambo hated school. 

But he really hated middle school. But there were two reasons why Lambo even bothered when he was a Vongola Guardian. The first reason was that Tsuna told him that he had to go to school and get a proper education. Tsuna always felt guilty that Lambo and by extensive, I-Pin and Fuuta, never got to have a normal childhood. Lambo loved Tsuna like a big brother, so it was hard to tell him no, especially when Mama Nana backed Tsuna’s order up. And Lambo never wanted to disappoint Mama.

After all, his birth family didn’t want him (hah, not like he wanted them), so if he lost Mama and Tsuna’s love, he’d have nowhere to go. He didn’t want to be all alone again.

The second reason he went was because Tsuna, that jerk (sometimes, Tsuna scared Lambo because Tsuna learned how to ask one of the scariest people for favors), somehow convinced Hibari to be in charge of Lambo’s education. It meant that Lambo had to endure Hibari’s brutal tutoring sessions, where math, history, science, literature and language were all beaten into his head. Sometimes, literally! Hibari still had an obsession with Namimori Middle, despite being college, and he was even stronger than he was a few years ago, so Lambo had no choice.

These two reasons were why Lambo was suffering in his room at the Sawada house with I-Pin and Fuuta. They were trying to help him with his Japanese literature class homework before Hibari returned from Todai for the day to whisk him off to his house for tutoring. Though Lambo liked Hibari’s mothers and they often helped him understand what Hibari was trying to say, Lambo had a bad day at school.

If he can avoid Hibari today, that would be great and maybe he could enjoy his dinner made by Mama.

“Uhhhhhh, why do I need to know what this metaphor is for,” whined Lambo. He was laying on the floor of his room dramatically. “When am I ever gonna use this ever in my life?”

“Lambo, come on, it’s not so bad,” said I-Pin, sternly.

“Yeah, having literary competency is important,” said Fuuta.

“Says you,” grumbled Lambo.

I-Pin sighed and said, “I know that it’s hard for you to concentrate. You’re a dumbass but you’re not stupid.”

Lambo said, “Thanks, I-Pin…wait, I’m not a dumbass?!?”

“If the shoe fits,” chorused I-Pin and Fuuta, teasingly.

Lambo growled as he attempted to re-read the stupid line in the stupid poetry. Then, they all heard Mama call out! “Lambo! Hibari-san is here! Come on up, Hibari-san. You’re such a nice boy for helping tutor the kids.”

Lambo paled. Fuuta pulled out a cap and shoved it on I-Pin’s head to block her view of Hibari’s pretty face.

“Noooo,” cried Lambo.

Hibari Kyouya entered the room and plainly said, “Let’s begin, herbivore.” Hibari still had his own bag and he seemed to have just got back into town. Hibari never sat down when he was tutoring and it always made Lambo even more nervous. Hibari, then, said, “I saw your grades. They were abysmal.”

Lambo resigned himself to his fate. “I’m doing my homework, I swear!”

“No excuses. Read the poem out loud,” said Hibari.

Lambo grabbed his book.

“You two, leave, he doesn’t need distractions,” said Hibari to I-Pin and Fuuta. Fuuta wisely dragged I-Pin out of the room. “Well, what are you waiting for, herbivore?”

Lambo cried. “Buuut?”

“I’m not the little animal, child. You’re whining does nothing but make me irrationally angry. Read.”

This was gonna be a long evening.

_~to be continued_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ngl I didn't like Lambo at first, but he kinda grew on me...like a wart  
> This is middle school Lambo so I'm writing him a bit less annoying
> 
> Let me know what you think  
> There's gonna be no update in January, but I'll be back in Feb with the next chapter.


	12. Chapter 12/Target 421:  Boring Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hana is bored

**Namimori, Japan**  
**2010**

Life was boring since the majority of the Vongola Tenth Generation left for different parts of the world. Hana knew everything since Kyoko told her everything after the time-traveling nonsense. Of course, Hana had suspected many things prior but Sawada Tsunayoshi being a Mafia Boss was not one of them. After learning the truth, Hana found amusement in Reborn’s training methods, especially when Hana got free vacations out of them.

Life was especially boring when you spent middle school and high school having fun, shenanigan adventures but now, you were an advertising major in Todai and you had a big project for your sophomore thesis to do for the semester. She hoped she wasn’t a loser who peaked in high school. She did miss the jerks that left, but she knew that they’d be back.

Sighing, she stared at her textbook. College was awful sometimes. Hana had always been an overachiever (though nothing like Kyoko, as Hana knew how to treat herself when she was stressed), so she always, always got a jump on big projects. On top of it, she had a presentation to do discussing music use in advertising.

“Ugh, this sucks,” said Hana, slamming down her pen. She twirled around in her swivel desk chair that her dad bought her for graduation. Grabbing her phone, she had a bunch of new notifications. The Vongola 10th Generation Group Text Chat was always lively as everyone lived in different time-zones.

She scrolled through her phone and after a minute, something caught her attention. It was a picture of excited Ryouhei standing in front of the famous Las Vegas sign, pointing at it. She knew exactly what he was thinking. She smiled and let out a huffing laugh.

Hana realized what she did and flung her phone across the room. She cursed. She stomped to her bed and hit herself with the pillow.

“Go to sleep, Hana-chan,” yelled her mother from downstairs.

 _Stupid best friend’s hot older brother who she definitely didn’t have a crush on since high school because he wasn’t her type,_ Hana thought furiously.

She fetched her phone and texted Kyoko that her brother was a pain. Sure, Kyoko would subtly tease Hana about her not-a-crush on Ryouhei, but Hana would get revenge by teasing Kyoko about Kyoko’s crush on Haru.

Kyoko texted back with a simple, _“Just say you miss Onii-chan, Hana-chan. <3”_

Hana will never admit it but Kyoko was right. Ryouhei had been in her life just as long as Kyoko. The Sasagawa siblings were near and dear to her heart. But Hana wasn’t ready to be completely honest with herself.

Her bedroom door flung open and her annoyed and tired mother entered. “For the love of God, Hana-chan, go to bed!”

“Sorry, Kaa-san.”

Her mother gave her a look, but then left Hana’s room. Hana sighed, looking at the picture of Ryouhei again.

She smiled.

_~to be continued_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of the "prologue" chapters! As you can see I figured out how many chapters this story will be. The following chapters will be longer, but therefore, will take longer to write!
> 
> Let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! If you got to the end of this, thanks for reading! I'm like 10 years too late for the KHR fandom, but since I had time because of the pandemic, I binged all of KHR anime and manga! Such a great series! 
> 
> And here I am writing a fic for an old fandom. 
> 
> Will be updated once or twice a month! (Sorry I've got a lot of projects going on...)
> 
> Some notes:  
> -I'm going to be switching between characters 3rd POV, so everyone's getting chapters!!  
> -This story is my headcanons and completely self-indulgent for myself  
> -I find it hilarious that due to the fact that the manga began in 2004, I estimated that Tsuna and his friends are around my age (give or take a year, depending on which character) now in 2020, so the fact that this story takes place in 2010 (to start) means that I'm basically going back to my college days to torture them all lol  
> -I do my best with characterizations, but harder characters like Hibari and Mukuro might have slight differences than canon and fandom dictates because I may see them differently than everyone else.  
> -So, I've decided to use honorifics when characters are SPEAKING about each other or to each other (example from this chapter, Tsuna refers to Ryouhei as Onii-san), HOWEVER in the NARRATION I will using the English translation (so example, Tsuna may call Ryouhei Onii-san, but the narration would be something like 'Ryouhei was Tsuna's surrogate big brother')  
> -If my tags are confusing, pls ask questions:  
> Post-Canon, 6-7 years  
> Also a bit canon divergent (because I'm basically mashing the manga and anime together to make something, so ehhhh)  
> Ryouhei/Hana, Haru/Kyouko (Developing Pre-Relationship)  
> Shoichi/Spanner (The only established relationship)  
> Mostly friendship and family stuff, tbh  
> -If there are things in a chapter that might be triggering or need a warning I'll put it in the beginning notes (I don't want to clog up the tags)
> 
> Until next time!


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